Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Yearly Archives: 2014

Why Mountain Biking is an Awesome Family Activity

Why Mountain Biking is an Awesome Family Activity

About a month or two before Baby Z’s arrival, my then 3 year old son transitioned from balance bike to big boy bike.  I cannot sing the praises of balance bikes enough, as the skills he learned there made for a seamless switch to pedals, without the need for training wheels.  And while we’ve undoubtedly done about a zillion laps around our neighborhood, the local mountain bike park has been the best outlet we’ve found for channeling his “inner ripper” while keeping the rest of the gang content (whether it’s a 9 month pregnant Mommy or a Mommy/newborn babywearing pair.)…Read the rest of this entry →

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Grayson Highlands Bouldering and Baby Z’s First Camp-Out

Grayson Highlands Bouldering and Baby Z’s First Camp-Out

As Baby Z gets bigger by the day, the weather has gotten more and more beautiful and enticing, causing our family to come down with an increasingly worsening case of spring fever!  Hubby and I have been chomping at the bit to hit our favorite spring climbing areas, and Big C has been psyched to try out the new sleeping bag he got for Christmas.  So when a friend of ours suggested we hit up Grayson Highlands State Park for some bouldering (thanks for the nudge, Michael Chickene!), we decided there was no time like the present for 8 week…Read the rest of this entry →

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New Blog Series: #KidCrushers (with Prizes from ClifKid!)

New Blog Series: #KidCrushers (with Prizes from ClifKid!)

As the weather warms up, it seems like a lot of climbing moms and dads are starting to get their kiddos out on the rock more and more.  And more time on the rock means more quality family time and adventure milestones.  Whether it’s first leads, first multi-pitches, or just a first time tying in, there’s been a lot to celebrate recently.  And I’m sure that this “kid-crusher” phenomenon isn’t limited to my own network of friends and acquaintances.  So since the whole premise behind the Cragmama blog is about encouraging “adventures big and small,” I’d like to start recognizing…Read the rest of this entry →

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A Stick is an Excellent Thing…

A Stick is an Excellent Thing…

Recently while at the library, we checked out a book of poems geared towards encouraging outdoor play, entitled “A Stick is an Excellent Thing.”  It’s by Marilyn Singer, with charming illustrations by LeUyen Pham.  One of my favorite poems is the one that the book is named by.  I love it because it creates a beautiful imagery of what happens when children are allowed to let their imaginations run free during unstructured outdoor play times (what we refer to as “green hours” around here.)   Specifically, it reminds me of this special stick that C found out at the crag…Read the rest of this entry →

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Easter Egg Huntin’ at the Climbing Gym

Easter Egg Huntin’ at the Climbing Gym

Last year we spent the Saturday before Easter hiding eggs for Big C within the pocketed walls of Crowders Mountain, while the grown-ups got their climb on.  (And ironically looking back at that old trip report, I see that Big C is wearing the exact same Thomas the Train jammies…)  Now that Big C is a bona fide roped climber in his own right, our plan this year was to move our egg hunt higher than 5 feet off the ground, hiding his eggs within the nooks and crannies of actual climbing routes.  We’d been looking forward to it all…Read the rest of this entry →

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“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN